Day 14: Two Things

After almost a week of not being able to run, I finally laced up my Nikes, grabbed my headphones, and hit the street. I was a little nervous about heading into the second week of my 5k training without running a single step in days, but by the time I began my first running segment, I felt great. That first run came as close to joy as I have ever reached while attempting to run. The pavement seemed to fly under my light feet. It was good to run. The easiness did not last much past that first run, but the memory of it carried me through the rest of my workout.

I noticed two things as I ran and listened to God today. The first was the sense of community I felt with other runners. As we passed each other, we would wave or say, "Hi." Even though I am new at running, when I saw another runner on the street, I felt like I belonged to a group. The fact that we were sharing the street in our running clothes and shoes in the early morning made two people alike in a way they may not have been if each had not decided to run that day. Seeing other runners also made me feel good about my own run. Other people had also dragged themselves out of bed in the predawn chill to make their bodies sweat and strain. I could do it, too. By choosing to wake up and run, I became part of a community that I would not have had access to if I had stayed in bed.

The second thing I noticed while running today was that sometimes it is easier to inhale and exhale consistently if I take a shorter breath before trying to exhale. Instead of inhale-2-3-4 and trying to force myself to exhale 2-3-4 in the same rhythm, it was easier to inhale-2, exhale-2 for a few rounds after transitioning from run to walk. I would gradually work it back to inhale-2-3, exhale-2-3, then finally back to a count of four. Instead of gasping in great breaths and trying to hold them until I could gasp in another, I could take shorter breaths and easily push out as much as I pulled in.

What did I learn from God as I ran with Him today? When I choose to run, whether in the body or in my faith, I become part of a community. I am not alone in my effort, and there is joy in meeting others who are running the same path as I am. Also, I do not have to take in great gasping breaths of the presence of God and then struggle to exhale Him into the lives of other. I van experience him in small ways and share him in small ways right now, and eventually my capacity will increase.

Thanks for the run, God. I have missed running with you.